Automatic regulating gas-burner.



No. 770,913- PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

G. W. LORD.

AUTOMATIG REGULATING GAS BURNER.

- APPLIOAT ION TILED JAN 15,1904

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC REGULATING GAS-BURNER.

SPECIFIGATIOLf forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,913, dated September 27, 1904.

Application filed January 15, 1904. Serial N0 189,153. (No model.)

To all whom it many concern:

Be itknown thatI, GEORGE W. LORD, aresident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Regulating Gas-Burners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gas-burners, and refers more specificially to a gas-burner provided with an automatic reducing or regulating Valve which controls the flow of gas to the tip.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a construction in which the regulation is effected by means of a needle-valve which is forced toward a closed position by the combined pressure of gas and a spring and is held against such pressure by means of gravity; to provide a construction which permits of the adoption of an extremely-light and correspondingly-sensitive valve, thereby insuring prompt response to light variations in pressure and accurate regulation; to provide a construction in which the valve is supported largely out of contact with guiding parts by the flow of gas around the same, and accordingly reciprocates with the utmost ease and uniformity; to provide in a valve of the character described means preventing the valve from being completely closed by any amount-of excess pressure, thereby preventing the light from becoming accidentally extinguished; to provide a construction which may be very simply and economically manufactured, and, in general, to provide a simple and improved construction of the character referred to.

To the above ends the invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and the invention will be readily understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a burner embodying a preferred form of myinvention, and Fig. 2 is a similar view with parts in axial section, while Fig. 3 illustrates a series of variable weights used in conjunction with the automatic valve.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as with a reduced extension 8, which is externally threaded to receive a nozzle-tube 9, within the upper end of which is seated the tip 2. The member 4 is accurately cylindric throughout a portion of its length, and within this cylindric portion is fitted a valve designated as a whole 10. I Said valve comprises a stem 11, tapered at its upper end to form a needle-valve point 12, said tapered portion comprising a relatively long slim point 13 and a more abruptly tapered conical portion 14:. In the upper end of the cap member 7 is seated a disk 15, through which is formed a valve-port 16, controlled by the needle-point of the valve. The lower end of the valve-stem extends through a disk 17, seated in the lower end of the easing member 4: and provided with a port 18, which is of sufliciently larger diameter than the diameter of the portion of the valve-stem extending therethrough to afford a substantially unobstructed flow for the gas. Upon the body of the valve-stem are mounted two disk-shaped vanes 19 and 20, respectively, said vanes being conformed accurately to the interior of the cylindric portion of the valvecasing, but made slightly smaller in diameter than the interior of the casing, so as to provide a very narrow annular passage 21 and 22 around the periphery of each vane. The vanes are rigidly mounted upon the valvestem at a considerable distance apart and in accurately parallel relation to each other as well as in perpendicular relation to the valvestem, so that the gas will flow upwardly uniformly around the peripheries of the vanes. Between the under side of the lower vane 20 and the disk 17 is interposed a very light and resilient coiled extension-spring 23, and in order that the construction may be better understood it may be here stated that the entire weight of the valve-stem and connected vanes may be approximately ten or twelve grains for use in burners operating under ordinary city gaspressure. In order to reduce the weight of the valve to this amount, I prefer to make the stem and vanes of aluminium. I also reduce the diameter of those parts of the stem between the vanes and below the lower one. In order that the vanes may beheld accurately and reliably in position, they are, however, mounted on the unreduced portions of the stem and made rigid therewith.

In order to regulate the pressure under which the gas shall be permitted to flow to and through the tip, I employ selectively a series of washer-like disks 24, selecting that one of the series which counterbalances the tension of the spring 23 and affords the proper pressure of gas at the tip. The washer 24 is simply allowed to rest upon the upper vane 19, being held in position by the stem, as shown. In order to preclude the possibility of an abnormal pressure of gas forcing the needleevalve entirely shut, and thus putting out the light, I provide a slight indentation orirregularity in that portion of the conical part of the needle-point which engages the valve-seat when the needle-valve is fully closed, as indicated at 25, such indentation or flattened portion serving to let sufficient gas leak past the valve to keep the burner alight at all times.

In operation the valve-stem having been properly weighted to give the desired presthrough the valve-casing and in so rising and falling will throttle or open the valve-port 16' as the conical portion 14 of the valve-stem approaches or recedes from said port. The gas passes in the form of a film around the peripheries of the vanes, thus folding the valve member as a whole concentrically within the burner and allowing it to rise and fall without chattering or vibratory movement. The employment of a pair of disks instead of a single one also contributes to this case of movement and certainty of response to variations in pressure. The long tapered point 13 of the needle-valve permits the valve; to recede to an abnormal distance from the port under low pressures without substantially changing the area of the port and also facilitates the assembling of the parts.

While I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, yet it will be obvious that the details of construction may be modified without departing from my invention, and I do not therefore limit myself to these details except to the extent that they are made the subject .of specific claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. A reducing-valve comprising a casing adapted to be interposed in a gas-pipe and provided with an internal portion of uniform cross-sectional area, a valve-stem mounted concentrically within a gas-casing provided with a needle-valve point and a vane the periphery of which is conformed to, but slightly smaller than the interior of the casing, a valve port controlled by said needle-point, a spring arranged to force the needle-valve toward a closed position, and a weight connected with the valve-stem and acting in opposition to the spring and pressure of gas.

2. In a reducing-valve, the combination of a casing adapted to be inserted in a gas-main and having a portion of its interior of uniform cross-sectional size and parallel with the iongitudinal axis thereof, an axially-disposed needle-valve stem provided at its upper end with a needle-valve point, a pair of vanes immovably mounted upon said valve-stem and said vanes being conformed to the interior of the casing but slightly smaller than the latter so as to form in conjunction therewith narrow annular gas-passages, a transverse wall in the a valve-port with which said needle-valve point cooperates, and a coiled spring arranged to act upon said valve-stem to force it upwardly toward a closed position, substantially as described.

3. In a reducing-valve, the combination of a casing adapted to be inserted in a gas-main and having a portion of its interior of uniform cross-sectional size and parallel with the longitudinal axis thereof, an axially -disposed needle-valve stem provided at its upper end with a needle-valve point, a pair of vanes inimovably mounted upon said valve-stem and spaced at a distance apart, the peripheries of said vanes being conformed to the interior of the casing but slightly smaller than the latter so as to form in conjunction therewith narrow annular gas-passages, a transverse wall in the upper part of said valve-casing provided with a valve-port with which said needle valve point cooperates, a coiled spring arranged to act upon said valve-stem to force it upwardly toward a closed position, and a weight detachably connected with said valve-stem acting in opposition to the tension of said spring, substantially as described.

I. In a reducing-valve, the combination of a casing provided at each end with reduced extensions adapted for connection with gaspipe sections and having its intermediate larger portion interiorly of uniform cross-sectional size, an axially-disposed needle-valve stem arranged within said casing and provided at its upper end with a needle-valve point, a pair of vanes immovably mounted upon said valve-stem in perpendicular relation thereto spaced at a distance apart, the peripheries of upper part of said valve-casing provided with and parallel with each other, the peripheries of said vanes being conformed to the interior of the casing and slightly smaller than the latter, a valve-seat in the reduced upper end of said Valve-casing with which said needlevalve point cooperates, a disk-like weight removably mounted upon said valvestem, a coiled spring arranged to normally force said valve-stem upwardly, the cooperating surfaces between said needle-valve point and valve-seat being shaped to provide a nonclosable by-pass passage of reduced size when the valve is fully closed, substantially as described.

5. In a reducing-valve, the combination ofdisk seated therein, a needle-valve stem disposed axially within said casing and provided at its upper end with a needle-point cooperating with the aperture of said upper disk, a pair of vanes immovably mounted upon said stem at points intermediate the length of the interior of the casing, a coiled expansionspring interposed between the lower vane and the lower disk, and a weight mounted upon the upper disk concentrically with the valvestem, the lower end of said valve-stem being extended to reciprocate through the aperture of the lower disk and the needle-valve point extended to reciprocate within the aperture of the upper disk, as and for the purpose set forth.

GEO. W. LORD.

Witnesses:

ALBERT H. GRAvEs, L. F. MCCREA. 

